March 29, 2024

Carbon occurs naturally as diamond and graphite. It also occurs in an impure form as coal and in the combined state as carbon (IV) oxide, natural gas, petroleum and wood. Other sources of carbon are mineral deposits of metallic trioxocarbonates (IV) such as calcium trioxocarbonate (IV), (limestone) and magnesium trioxocarbonate (IV) (dolomite). Carbon shows little tendency to acquire four electrons to form an anion, C4- or to lose four electrons to form the cation,C4+. Rather, it forms four covalent bonds.

One of the unique characteristics of carbon is that it forms bonds with other carbon atoms to form carbon frameworks to which atoms of other elements are attached.This property is called catenation. The ability of carbon to form covalent bonds with other carbon atoms and atoms of other elements have made possible the vast number of stable carbon compounds that exist. Carbon is also an essential constituent of all living things.

The study of the vast number of stable carbon compounds, with the exception of the very simplest ones such as carbon (IV) oxide, carbon (II) oxide and trioxocarbonates (IV) forms a separate branch of chemistry known as organic chemistry.

Carbon exists in network crystals with the atoms of the crystals held together by covalent bonds. It exhibits oxidation number of +2 and +4 in its compound.

 

ALLOTROPES OF CARBON

The existence in the same physical state, of two or more structural forms of the same element is known as allotropy. Carbon can exist in three different allotropic forms. These are, diamond, graphite and amorphous or non-crystallise. Diamond and graphite form the crystalline carbon.

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